May 17

May 17, 2002 – The Pixar Short Film Mike’s New Car is Released at the El Capitan Theater

“Three little words, Sulley: six wheel drive!”

On May 17, 2002, the Pixar short film Mike’s New Car was released exclusively at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, California, in order to qualify for Academy Award consideration. The short, featuring characters Mike and Sulley from the hit animated feature Monsters, Inc., would go on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, but would lose out to Eric Armstrong’s The ChubbChubbs! It was written by Pete Docter, Jeff Pidgeon, Roger L. Gould, and Rob Gibbs, and was directed by Docter and Gould. Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprised their roles as Mike and Sulley.

The short begins with Mike taking Sulley to see his new car. Sulley is unimpressed, though Mike is super excited. When they enter the car, Sulley appears to have a hard time fitting inside, but Mike tells him that his seat is adjustable, and Sulley spends a good moment having fun adjusting his seat, much to Mike’s annoyance. As Mike starts the car, something starts beeping, and Mike realizes that they need to fasten their seatbelts. Unfortunately, Mike’s seat belt doesn’t seem to cooperate, and he ends up throwing himself outside the car. Mike tells Sulley to push the button, but as the dashboard is made up almost entirely of buttons, Sulley hits one at random, which opens the hood. As Mike goes to shut it, he ends up inside the working gears within the hood. Sulley manages to help him get out, and Mike gets back in the car, but more problems arise when Mike starts hitting buttons at random while trying to turn off the wipers. Mike finally turns off the car, and when Sulley adjusts the mirror, he accidentally pulls it off. Mike then pushes Sulley out of the car, and Mike crashes the car as he tries to go in reverse. In the end, Mike laments the loss of his old car.